Last-place projections continue to inspire unbeaten Cardinal

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, September 10, 1995

SALT LAKE CITY - Most experts picked Stanford to finish last in the Pac-10 Conference this season. Players are using that for incentive.

"Nobody's given us a shot," said inside linebacker Mike Hall, after the Cards' 27-20 win over Utah raised their record to 2-0.

Coach Tyrone Willingham agreed.

"Next week we'll have to go out and prove ourselves to another team," he said.

PROTOTYPE FIELD: The game at Rice Stadium was played on a new prototype field comprised of natural grass and synthetic turf. Natural grass covers the top, with sand and Astroturf underneath.

Players took no divots and cut on the turf without difficulty. The new field, located at 4,200 feet elevation, also features a heating system to warm the surface during freezing conditions.

EX-CARDS IN ATTENDANCE: Former Stanford basketball star Adam Keefe, a member of the Utah Jazz, watched the game from the Utah sideline.

"I had to," Keefe said. "It's the only way I could get a field pass."

Also in attendance was Kristin Klein, a four-time Cardinal All-American volleyball player and Keefe's fiance, and her brother, Jimmy, an ex-Stanford defensive back.

ETC.: Eric Abrams matched his career-long with a 50-yard field goal . . . CB Leroy Pruitt intercepted a pass for the second consecutive game . . . OLB Chris Draft blocked a punt, the Cards' second of the season . . . The last time Stanford opened the season 2-0 was in 1986. The Cards finished 8-6 and went to the Gator Bowl . . . Stanford hosts Wisconsin in its home opener next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Badgers had a bye Saturday.&lt;